The family of a man fatally shot by a Pueblo County sheriff’s deputy one year ago has filed a wrongful death complaint in U.S. Federal Court for the District of Colorado.
On the day of the incident, police confronted Richard Ward, 32, after he was seen getting into a vehicle he thought was the one he arrived in, in a middle school parking lot.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs released body cam footage of Ward initially sitting in the back seat of the vehicle he arrived in.
Shortly after, the deputies asked Ward if he was under the influence of anything, and he replied no.
When a deputy asked Ward for his identification or if he was armed, Ward said, “I think I might have a pocket knife, I don’t know.”
In his pocket was a lighter, which he put to the side, and a pill, which he then popped into his mouth for his anxiety.
According to reports, the deputies believed that ward had been reaching for a weapon when he was pulled out of the car. They claim the word “gun” could be heard amid the struggle.
Ward was shot three times in the chest while struggling on the ground with the deputy. The body camera audio did not reveal the context of the word “gun.”
In the video, Ward could be seen on the ground, still moving as deputies stood over him.
The shooting took place outside Liberty Point International Middle School during dismissal. Ward’s mother was in her car at the time.
On Tuesday, Ward’s mother said during a news conference that she “can’t find the words to explain to my younger son, who I was picking up at school that day. I just can’t find the words it shattered the whole family.”
Attorneys for the family described it as a murder case during that news conference.
Deputies told investigators they were concerned for their safety immediately after the incident as Ward lay on the ground for three minutes without assistance.
Attorney Darold Killmer said, “remember, Richard Ward was unarmed, was not trying to flee the scene, and was not threatening in any way the deputy or anybody else.”
After an investigation determined that the shooting was justified, the district attorney cleared all criminal charges against the implicated sheriff’s deputies.
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